Breaking the ice with fire
by hinatachan the itaxnaru luver
Summary: Sakuragi thinks Rukawa's proposing to Haruko-chan and now he's been taken hostage by some thugs but why isn't Sakuragi fighting back?


**I thought this one would get me out of my depression for Starwars Clone wars, just finished season 3, never knew it was such a good show! T^T Anyways, I present to you this interesting story of Rukawa and Sakuragi!**

**Summary: Rukawa's been on edge with Sakuragi lately all because of a small incident on the school grounds.**

**When Rukawa is stopped in the hall by Haruko, Sakuragi suddenly sees the scene and thinks Rukawa is asking her out on a date. But as usual, Sakuragi misinterprets the scene and flees instead of punching the guy out like he usually does. Rukawa notices that Sakuragi was watching and chases after him. But because Rukawa is always a quiet guy, it must be harder for Sakuragi too. **

**Warning: Contains heart pounding situations. Will Sakuragi ever listen to Rukawa?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk but it's both awesome in show and movies and books and etc!**

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><p>The class was silent and watching carefully at Sakuragi Hanamichi, the man with curls of red hair and the snores of an old man. He was snoozing in class again and had just begun to murmur in his sleep. The girls all giggled while the boys in the class laughed as a very angry teacher stood waiting and watching, hoping for the right moment to strike his student on the head. But the teacher did not say a word instead; he ignored Hanamichi and continued to read the book he was holding.<p>

Mito Yohei, Sakuragi's only truest friend whom he had fought alongside with before his becoming of a basketball player, was smiling at his sleeping friend and could only imagine what the young man was dreaming about this time. The class continued with their studies, leaving Sakuragi to his nap. However, it did not look like Sakuragi would be having a good nap today.

Shouting and the sound of school shoes got everyone's attention. The class grew restless and soon left their seats to see what all the commotion was about. As much as a student enjoyed working on a textbook, they loved and preferred the excitement of gossip and school fights. A teacher came to their room and looked around sternly for the class teacher. "There are some delinquents at the front gates! The principal's ordering for a teacher meeting at once!" The teacher said. Although it was not rare to see delinquents at their school fort hey had quite a bit of them already but it was rare to see the teachers actually be involved with a meeting. Maybe someone had brought a bat with them?

The teacher of the class paused for a moment and finally turned toward the students, the ones who stuck around in the class. "Close your books for the time being and stay put! And someone…please wake up Sakuragi for me." The teacher then walked out of the room with the other teacher while the students all piled around to the classroom windows, all hoping to see if they could watch the scene.

They were a bunch of men with bandannas on their bald heads and black, leather, sleeveless jackets covering their white undershirts. Their faces were all pasty and white, as white as ghosts and they all wore black sunglasses. Whoever they wanted or came to the school for, seemed to know where to find them for they were looking up in the same direction, Sakuragi's classroom.

All the girls began to panic while the guys tried to sneak away quietly, hoping the men wouldn't want to pick out 'desserts'. Yohei sighed to himself and knew that if anyone would be waking up Hanamichi, it was him. He prodded the man's shoulder and jabbed a few times with his finger, poking at first his shoulder and then the boy's neck. Sakuragi was out cold.

"Oi, Hanamichi. Haruko-san is here." Yohei smiled as he said this because he knew how fast the young man would get up from the seat. But Sakuragi didn't stir from the mention of Haruko's name.

Yohei poked Sakuragi's shoulder once more and only then did Hanamichi's eyes open halfway. "I was having such a nice dream…what is it now?" Sakuragi asked as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He glanced around sensing that there were students all over the class room.

"Something's got the students all excited. It's a couple of gang wannabes." Yohei smiled lightly at the young man and sat back in his chair. Sakuragi was about to ask what was going on outside after he noticed the students going up to the window and shrieking every time. But Sakuragi's attention was caught by Haruko, who was seen running past his class room. He leaped out of his chair and followed after her, getting a surprised look from his friend.

'Haruko-chan must be worried about Gori. This might be my chance to prove I'm more suited to her than that stupid Ruka-!' Sakuragi yelped out in surprise as he bumped into the gorilla man himself, the one who Sakuragi tried to be in favor of but never got the chance.

He was thickly built from head to toe and was almost as tall as Sakuragi. He glared at the redhead and folded his arms across his chest, obviously wanting an explanation for his running. Sakuragi grit his teeth together but held back a punch he wanted to give the man so badly. He got up from the floor after being blocked by the large man and pouted.

"Gori, what's going on? Where's Haruko-chan?" Sakuragi was more worried about Haruko than he was about the girl's brother. The man did not reply but kept a firm stare on him.

"She's gone to see Rukawa. Stay in your class, Sakuragi." With this, the man turned and walked away from Hanamichi.

'What the hell? Stupid Gori, telling me what to do!' Sakuragi thought as he sneaked around the other hall corners and eventually found his way to Rukawa's classroom.

Haruko's brother had told him that his sister had went to see Rukawa but why did the man want him to stay in the classroom? Was it because he wanted to give his sister some privacy alone with Rukawa amongst the confusion of the school? If this was true, then Sakuragi was surely not going to let it happen. He hurried quickly around a corner and nearly ran into a few girls coming out of the class. He stopped quickly and saw Haruko as clearly as he saw the blue sky. She was standing outside the class, staring at Rukawa passionately.

"Rukawa-kun! Haruko-chan is here!" Sakuragi watched on as the girl who had told Rukawa about Haruko being there, went to the windows to join the other students. Rukawa did not appear to be interested.

Sakuragi kept a low profile and tried to quiet his steps as he crept closer to get a better ear on Rukawa's and Haruko's conversation. He knew the girl had a crush on the man but this wasn't going to stop Sakuragi. He looked on as the two faced each other, Rukawa, standing tall like a tower while little Haruko was as small as a little flower. The image of her as a flower getting crushed by a giant building got Sakuragi wondering what Rukawa could be up to.

Hanamichi crept into Rukawa's class to get a good look at the two of them, hoping to get a glimpse of Haruko. Her face was blushing as Rukawa moved his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small round box. The texture of the box looked like pure velvet and seemed kind of expensive to be anything that might be for basketball. Was this a ring? Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes as Sakuragi looked at the two with puppy dog eyes. Rukawa smiled down at Haruko which was often a rare find these days since their previous losses from other games.

Rukawa opened the box, and as Sakuragi watched the heart breaking moment before him, he felt his own heart breaking. Inside the velvet box was a round and golden ring, no fancy diamond but nonetheless, a momentum of their love for one another. Sakuragi felt like he had lost the entire world and so, he left the class in a hurry, not caring whether Haruko saw him or not. He was done with the mess of love and anything to do with it.

Rukawa was the first to notice Sakuragi's red flame of hair and he froze on the spot like a jolt of lightning had been passed through his body. Haruko realized that Rukawa was looking at something and at the last minute, turned to see the young man with red hair, running as fast as he could down the hall. Her head drooped down sadly and felt a rush of wind go past her. Rukawa had run past her, racing after Sakuragi.

She stood there, alone and a little upset that Sakuragi had to see the two of them like this. If Sakuragi got the wrong idea, she was sure it would be her fault. She sighed quietly and hoped that Rukawa could catch Sakuragi soon. After all, it was just a few weeks ago that Rukawa came out to her, explaining his troubles and why he felt the way he did whenever he saw Sakuragi playing. She told Rukawa it was love. But now…the man even went out of his way to give the other man a ring to explain his feelings.

Although her dreams and hopes of ever going out with a cool man like Kaede Rukawa were crushed, she looked for a more positive view on things. She was going to help the two out any way she could. Her brother never knew about this yet but she didn't think Rukawa was planning on telling anyone aside from her.

Almost getting out of breath, Sakuragi was just about to go outside, out into the front yard of the school, hoping to run away from the school life altogether. But there was someone blocking his way. A bald man with a blue bandanna wrapped tightly around his bald head and dark sunglasses, walked into the school, causing Sakuragi to bump into him. The man was as huge as the gorilla captain of their basketball team.

"Hey, who dares to touch our boss!" Another bald man, scrawny but was just as brutal looking as the man Hanamichi had bumped into.

"Who the hell are you clowns? Get out of my way!" Sakuragi had just remembered he was crying just a while ago and now he was about to take a beating. He really wasn't looking forward to any of this and it wouldn't help the basketball team any. This was why Akagi had told him to stay inside his class room. If he hadn't witnessed the sight of Rukawa proposing to Haruko, he wouldn't be in this mess.

"You're not by any chance, Sakuragi Hanamichi? Well boys, looks like our plan will succeed. Tie him up!" Sakuragi could not believe what he was hearing. Weren't they here for a fight? What would they get out of tying him up?

Sakuragi was angry with himself for not feeling the desire for a fight, the flame that had once burned inside him was starting to burn out and he didn't think he needed to stay on the basketball team either. He hated Rukawa, hated Haruko and especially himself for having to get so involved with a stupid sport like basketball. He slumped to the floor, allowing the strange men to tie him up like their boss wanted and did not even fight back. His pride was broken and his thoughts were on only one thing. Rukawa. If the man was not around or had not even come to the school, he would have gotten a chance to date Haruko. But that chance was soon taken like all the other girls he asked out on a date.

This was not Sakuragi's day at all. He felt himself being lifted by the fat boss and winced at the slight pain he felt on his behind as he was slammed on the back of a motorcycle. The school watched as their redheaded basketball man, Sakuragi Hanamichi, was driven away on a motorcycle, off of the school grounds and away from his beloved Haruko-chan.

Rukawa was out of breath for a while but regained it for only a few seconds only to realize that he was too late. 'Sakuragi…that idiot!' Rukawa pounded a fist to a nearby locker and glared at the empty yard outside the school building. If looks could kill a person with just one stare, Rukawa's would definitely kill anyone standing in his way.

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><p><strong>An: Just the first chapter, hope it wasn't too quick, I really wasn't trying to make it quick. I think I based too many fact points and not enough detail, ah well. Tell me what you think and I'll have the next chapter up soon!**


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